Here are some arguments made from both sides of this issue this week on this hot button topic:

1. They don't make the money for the organization. As a result, they don't get paid as much. That's not sexism, that supply and demand.

2. I am sure if the WNBA pulled in more money then they would get a higher salary and if they were more popular players would get more endorsements. People seem to support college women hooping more than the WNBA.

3. I’m a huge supporter of the WNBA. When it first came out, it was big, we had the Cynthia Coopers’, Tina Thompsons’, Sheryl Swoopes. However, men never really bought into the WNBA. Just like the comments now, they were considered a joke and was underrated.

The problem with the WNBA is the front office. They don’t even sell jerseys anymore. The jerseys are filled with sponsors. They don’t put any money into the franchise anymore. In the past, you could watch a game on CBS and ABC. Now it’s on ESPN 3 or NBA TV. Many don’t have those channels.

They stopped investing in it.

4. Not a sports fan however, I disagree. If the players are making billions for the organizations, they should at least make millions. Same thing with Hollywood actors or other entertainers. No one says they're getting paid too much. They give a product and the audience gives the money.

5. The point is going over yalls head. Yall keep saying no one watches....who the fuck is putting this shit on TV? No big media outlets are supporting the WNBA. This industry can make the most ignorant people popular so why wouldn't WNBA be popular? It's not that people ain't watching, it's that the establishment doesn't want to give them their fair share of publicity which goes straight back to sexism. I also think that this sport is considered "manly" and since these women are so tall you can't "sexify" them like you can other female sports stars. You don't even see female basketball players get any type of popular endorsement deals.

People can't watch something and support it if the big wigs don't put it on TV or let people know it's out there.

6. Of all the many contracts signed this free agency, she chooses to comment on lebrons? He's the face of the league and one of the greatest of all time. Why not comment on the other scrubs getting paid millions?

7. They didn't even try with the WNBA though. The league was everywhere in the 90s. Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoops, Lisa Leslie, etc.

It is sexism at play, plain and simple, because look at what everyone--male and female--reaches for to talk about the league: masculine, lesbian, etc. Isaiah Thomas (I think) got slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit a few years ago by a woman who said the back offices of the NBA are rife with brutal sexism. So it's obvious that since WNBA players aren't considered fuckable, they aren't worth much to the overall sport.

8. I saw someone mention that men don’t take the WNBA seriously. Who gives a damn what men think? What’s stopping women, at 50% of the population, from supporting the WNBA? Women should be the group they market towards. I don’t get why women don’t seem to really support female athletics either.

I totally agree that WNBA players should making more. Same goes for women’s soccer. But the fact is that revenue is too low to pay these women what they deserve. It’s a sad situation but I don’t see it really changing.

I saw a WNBA player spending months playing basketball in cold ass Russia just to make more money.

9. I kinda see her (A'ja) point but she picked the WRONG dude to use an example. You got so many damn bums in the nba getting paid 15+ million a year. I mean Chandler Parsons is getting paid 23 millions and he averaged like 6 points. Luol Deng and Joakim Noah are getting paid 15-17 million a year and they barely played last season. Lebron James has been the face of the NBA for 15 years, he EARNS his money. He's well deserving of that money and his presence means a whole to the NBA.

10. One WNBA players' salary starts at .2% of the league earnings.

One NBA players' salary starts at 0.00786729729% of league earnings.

Technically the women are starting off higher but, their league doesn't make any money.

11. The WNBA has changed a lot since its inception.

I used watched a lot of their games during the 90s. The stars were more feminine, family oriented (mothers, wives, etc.) That was the image the WNBA promoted. Now it’s about pushing a feminist and lesbian agenda. That’s fine if lesbians and angry feminists are bringing in the money, but even their support is lukewarm.

12. I'm a former sports league employee. I know what the hell I'm talking about. Truth hurts. Lisa Leslie was a top performer, BUT SHE WAS ALSO ATTRACTIVE.

90's WNBA was appealing in part because the women were still feminine.

13. Attendance and tv views dont solely influence salaries. Revenue is the biggest influence. What I've been saying: Low revenue and demand is the reason for low WNBA salaries. MLB has high revenues and demand is still high despite decrease in attendance and tv. MLB players salaries are high because the money is there. WNBA doesn't have high revenues at all. Therefore, WNBA players salaries are low because the money isnt there.

14. They barely market the WNBA and there are no licensed products outside of generic t shirts.

Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley, and several other women’s jerseys use to fly off the shelves. Hell, the movie Juwanna Mann was based around the WNBA.

Thete are several reasons why it’s not thriving...but it’s not solely due to low attendance and tv ratings. Poor decisions from the front office is killing them.

15. Legends Football League is is a women's 7-on-7 American football, founded in 2009 as the Lingerie Football League and was rebranded as the Legends Football League in 2013.

Ever since they rebranded the whole thing, this league has been banking and making numbers. This is to show you how people in general like women sport's players. When i first saw this league i was shocked and disgusted until i realized that's just how society and men are.

There is no way a women's national football league would be making bank like this lingerie league thing if the women copied the men's league jerseys and all.

I am a woman and I love the wnba. Problem is I don't have a team in my city so I cannot attend games. There are only 12 teams in 52 states! Tv time has gone down since last year which is proven by the fact that there are more games on League Pass(which I have) then there are on tv. That was the 1st thing I noticed. Years ago there was a tv league pass for the wnba and they should bring that back! They have one for the men and fans like myself would purchase it in a heart beat.

They're (Mark Jones and Doris Burke) interviewing A'ja Wilson during this Las Vegas Summer League game right now, on ESPN2. I think they started by asking her about her comments about pay inequity, but I came in on the tail end of that. They then started asking about her goals in the league, and Jones told her he expects to see her at the All-Star game.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a second TV deal would be a big step for the league. Keep ESPN2 on Tuesdays and increase it to double headers. Have the Twitter games on Fridays and add in the second TV partner for Thursdays or Sundays.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a second TV deal would be a big step for the league. Keep ESPN2 on Tuesdays and increase it to double headers. Have the Twitter games on Fridays and add in the second TV partner for Thursdays or Sundays.

Depends whether ESPN wants them to have another TV partner or not. If that money from ESPN - which is significant, and arguably unjustified by the ratings/value except in how it kept the NBA happy - is only on offer if ESPN are the exclusive TV partner, then many in the League may not feel a second partner is worth it.

Plus, if you've got games on some tiny network that's in a much smaller number of homes than ESPN2, and the ratings are therefore miniscule, does the league just come off looking even worse?

If Aja, Kayla, et al can keep this issue out in front of the public without saying anything too annoying, maybe it will get more people tuning in to see what the WNBA is about. Assuming there's a televised game somewhere to tune into. I can dream.

Since the players are part of a union, they don't have to tweet about wanting more money, just have their representative negotiate higher salaries. And if they don't get what they want, live off their overseas wages and go on strike.

I feel about 99 percent confident in saying that the first day that WNBA players go on strike will be the last day that there is a WNBA.

I remember then WNBPA president Sonja Henning talking non-stop about a player's strike in the lead up to the 2002 CBA negotiations. David Stern mentioned the possibility of a lockout. At that point player salaries were estimated at 15% of basketball related income.

_________________Make lots of noise
Kiss lots of boys
Or kiss lots of girls
If that's something you're into
When the straight and narrow
Gets a little too straight
Roll up a joint, or don't
Just follow your arrow
Wherever it points, yeah
Follow your arrow
Wherever it points

“We will create an environment and culture that will cater to only those who love the game, while weeding out those doing it for a paycheque,” Mortaza wrote to league players in a letter dated March 18, 2011. “Thus, moving forward, the LFL will no longer be compensating players.”

Mortaza says that the company will “eventually revert back to a compensation model,” but in the meantime will no longer ask players to make promotional appearances, nor mandate attendance at practices.

“There seems to be a misperception that the LFL is driving massive revenues, when in actuality, we are simply trying to stay alive in one of the toughest economic climates in history,” the letter said.

_________________Make lots of noise
Kiss lots of boys
Or kiss lots of girls
If that's something you're into
When the straight and narrow
Gets a little too straight
Roll up a joint, or don't
Just follow your arrow
Wherever it points, yeah
Follow your arrow
Wherever it points

"I used watched a lot of their games during the 90s. The stars were more feminine, family oriented (mothers, wives, etc.) That was the image the WNBA promoted. Now it’s about pushing a feminist and lesbian agenda. That’s fine if lesbians and angry feminists are bringing in the money, but even their support is lukewarm."

FUCK THIS SHIT! And to be a feminist does not = angry. (Not that we don't have a WHOLE HELL OF A LOT to be angry about!)

1. Where were other successful sports leagues 20 years in?
2. NCAA women's basketball has been around how long? And how many places can you view? WNBA has limited opportunities for eyeballs, although it's improving with live streaming.
3. What is the actual number of NBA teams that still own the WNBA counterpart? I know I've seen that metric on this board someplace. 4 or 5? Out of 12? Someone else on here would know better. I just looked at the team list and am not sure re: Mystics.

And in truth, I'm afraid any article posted on The Federalist is suspect in my eyes. Their perspective is so conservative I cannot take writings posted there with much credence.

Not one mention of what the players are actually talking about, which is their percentage of basketball revenue.

_________________Make lots of noise
Kiss lots of boys
Or kiss lots of girls
If that's something you're into
When the straight and narrow
Gets a little too straight
Roll up a joint, or don't
Just follow your arrow
Wherever it points, yeah
Follow your arrow
Wherever it points

I actually wish people would stop drawing comparisons between the NBA 20 years in and the WNBA 20 years in. It's completely incomparable with the technological advances in the world today, in my opinion.

On another note, I'm in the middle of a long work road trip for this summer. I spend a lot of time listening to the radio. I don't remember where I was or the station, but I heard some hosts talking about the WNBA in between songs on Monday afternoon. The topic was Wilson's Tweets about pay. It was two women and one man. Both women said they love basketball but find the WNBA boring because the men's athleticism is much more fun to watch. And then the man said -- if they all looked like Diggins the WNBA would be ok, but they all look like Taurasi. Unfortunately and discouragingly, both women agreed.

We have come a long way, but we have some ways to go.

WNBA specific, I just don't know if the league will ever be able to get these types of folks on board.

One of my best friends (female) is a HUGE sports fan, and watches the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MCBB, and/or tennis everrrry night. She has zero interest in the WNBA or WCBB, and doesn't watch any women's sports because they're "boring" and the play is "inferior" to the men's. This seems to be a really common objection to the WNBA.

One of my best friends (female) is a HUGE sports fan, and watches the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MCBB, and/or tennis everrrry night. She has zero interest in the WNBA or WCBB, and doesn't watch any women's sports because they're "boring" and the play is "inferior" to the men's. This seems to be a really common objection to the WNBA.

And sadly, from certain perspectives, that is an accurate statement. The difference in athleticism is huge, and many people really enjoy displays of pure athleticism.

That group will be very hard to convince about women's basketball because they are looking for entertainment value in an area in which women cannot compete in terms of explosiveness and 99th percentile moments.

For visual proof, compare the top ten plays in the NBA to the top ten plays in the WNBA. In terms of skill, court vision, etc., the women are right there, but in terms of athletic feats ...

(Also note that the ability to jump and stay in the air for a long time allows 99th percentile men to do things those who can't match that ability simply can't.)

The group that watches basketball purely for running, jumping and dunking without regard to team play...you may as well forget them. There’s no chance.

I have a friend who I just met in the last year or two. Really good guy. He says he can’t get into it because it’s too slow for him. He does, however, respect the fact that a mutual friend and I are really into it. And he respects the players for their abilities. It’s just not for him, up to this point. It happens. The caveat is that he appreciates basketball for more than the just the athletic endeavors even if my comment just prior doesn’t reflect that so clearly. He likes team play. Just at a faster pace. I do think I might be able to sell him on it because I feel he’d try out one game live just to check it out. See, I’d settle for that. Just be willing to try one game live. If you don’t like it, fine. In the process don’t denigrate their play or the nature of the game. And respect those of who do like it. That’s all at this point I’d ask for. I can’t make you like what you don’t like, just give it one chance. But please respect those of who are active participants in playing or following women’s ball. That’s it.

I have another friend. Rips WBB regularly. In 1999 after the finals game 2 where Spoon made the shot, he told me that it was a pretty good game. I guess he watched some of it. 19 years later he swears he didn’t say it. But he did. Says a lot about the mindset doesn’t it? Get what I mean? The ego won’t allow some people to open themselves to it even if they might like it. My feeling is that my friend isn’t alone in that regard.

"In the process don’t denigrate their play or the nature of the game. And respect those of who do like it. That’s all at this point I’d ask for. I can’t make you like what you don’t like, just give it one chance. But please respect those of who are active participants in playing or following women’s ball. That’s it. "

Yes - and I do realize that there are many who will never appreciate - let alone enjoy - the women's game, whether WNBA or college-level. That there always will be the trolls who can't shut up about something they don't like, and evidently are threatened by athletic women. Forget about them. Ignore them. Don't engage with the trolls.

Most of the people I know who dismiss the women's game have never watched or attended a game, so really don't know what they're talking about. Some just like to get under my skin. Whatever.

I am so happy that the WNBA finally has embraced it's fans -- and the lesbian and feminist women who, in large part, have supported the league since it's inception. And welcome our daughters and sisters, fathers and sons who ALSO enjoy the game.